Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I am a follower of Jesus which means much of my life is struggling to understand and live out what it means to love him with all my heart, soul and mind. When that happens I love those around me well. That may sound weird to those of you who don't follow him, but it really is the essence of Christianity, a love relationship with God.

This morning I'm struck by the story of the woman who anoints the feet of Jesus with her tears and continually shows affection by kissing his feet. Luke tells us she was "a woman of the city" which seems to indicate she was a known prostitute.

Jesus was dining in the home of one of the religious leaders of the day. You can imagine how tense it was when the whore came to the dinner and began to show great affection for Jesus. It seems he should have stopped her, but he didn't.

Here's what strikes me. Jesus says "her sins which are many are forgiven - for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little , loves little". I long to love much and well. I want to love Jesus well, my wife well, my kids well and everyone with whom I come in contact well.

I want to "love much".

So the question is this; how do I see my sin? Am I forgiven little or much? If I embrace the truth that my sin is much and in need of great forgiveness perhaps my love for Jesus will be great. If I neglect to see the depth of my sin perhaps I'll miss the truth that forgiveness is a very big deal.

This morning I'm taking a fresh look at my sin, not sin of 10 years ago but my sin of yesterday. As I do that my sins seem to be many, pride, lust, selfishness, control, lack of faith...

God has and continues to grant me great forgiveness. May I never miss the greatness of God's forgiveness. I long to "love much".